German Car Zone

Grip and Grin: With All-Wheel Drive and Dynamic V-6s, These Sure-Footed Lux Sedans Will Leave You Smiling. Only One, Though, Left Us Grinning from Ear to Ear.


Torque steer. Two words that make front-drive loyalists cringe and rear-drive purists chuckle. While most of today's automakers have managed to quell torque steer with half-shaft trickery or engine control units that reduce torque in low gears, the helm-tugging phenomenon still exists in several, modern front-drivers, especially those with a propensity for pound-feet. This trait is unwelcome in any car, but certainly those of the luxury bent, whose buyers, after gassing their new rides through a sharp turn, would likely race back to the dealership exclaiming, "There's something wrong with my $50,000 car!"

Solutions? Besides the obvious (read: rear drive) and the aforementioned tricks, there's all-wheel drive, a system that can be easily bolted to a front-drive chassis and, more notable, apportions torque to the rear wheels, thus nullifying or greatly calming those pesky pound-feet. Today there are myriad rear-drive-based all-wheel-drive sport/luxury sedans, including the BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G, Lexus IS, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but for this test we focused on the newest and most significant front-drive-based traction mongers.

We turned first to Audi, whose fourth-generation A4 once again gets the company's renowned quattro all-wheel drive. For 2009 the Spanish-dubbed system has been biased to send 60 percent of torque to the rear wheels. Naturally, a self-locking center diff can also send a majority of torque to the front axle, if traction levels dictate. In addition, the A4, which in base front-drive trim gets a 2.0-liter turbo and a CVT, sports a longer wheelbase, a wider track, a lower center of gravity, and a front axle moved forward six inches, all of which promises enhanced dynamics. We opted for the flagship of the line, the 3.2 quattro, featuring a six-speed automatic and Audi's direct-injected 3.2-liter V-6 making 265 horsepower and 243 pound-feet (for V-6 lovers, get the 3.2 while you can-Audi will not offer it for 2010).


Full Story: Motor Trend - Comparison: 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD vs 2009 Audi A4 3.2 quattro


M

I don't know about this new Acura.
I don't really like the rear and front of this car: massive, muscular and aggressive styling, it feels sort of like a car for Dark Veider.
Or more like a very automated, robotic and industrial, Transformers car.

Oh man, different leauges.

That thing they call the Acura looks like what would have been the result if Optimus Prime would have tried to mate a Opel and a Mazda...

Ahhhh... wanna-be futuristic Acura looks like she came straight out of the toy-box of McDonald's kid's meal!

Audi on the other hand is a whole new world! Imo, best-looking car in it's class with technology to chase!